Tribeca Film Festival kicks off in Doha

Doha: Acclaimed film director Mira Nair hopes her film Amelia which opens the inaugural Doha Tribeca Film Festival will inspire the women all over the world – especially Qatar – to spread their wings. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines at a press conference in Doha, Nair said her film about the aviatrix Amelia Earhart should be looked upon as an inspiration.

“Amelia dreamt of flying around the world in the 1920s and 1930s when women were just supposed to bake cookies in the kitchen. She chose to do it at a time when flying around the world was unheard of. I hope this film will be an inspiration for all the women in the Middle East,” says Nair. She added like Amelia she too hopes to conquer the world through the medium of films and urged Middle Eastern filmmakers to tell their own stories.

“Amelia believed flying would annihilate distance and she connected countries and cultures in ways that has never happened before. I too like Amelia have come from a small town in Bhubaneshwar in India and I too dream of impacting the world through cinema,” says Nair. She was joined the legendary American filmmaker Martin Scorsese. One of the most vocal advocates of film preservation and chairman of the World Cinema Foundation (WCF) said the idea of watching one of his all time favourite films – The Night Of The Counting Years (aka Mummy) in its original glory has brought him to Doha.

“The Night Of The Counting Years is now recognized as one of the biggest movies that has ever been made. It’s a film that has haunted me for years. But for many years, I have only seen the poor quality – usually the pink or faded version. I have never seen the complete colour version until we made its restoration,” says Scorsese. One of the primary highlights of DTFF, the public screening of the 1969 Egyptian classic he adds is his present to the future.

“This restoration was a meditation of the past and the present and our debts to history. Now, the future can appreciate it in full colour glory,” says Scorsese. He also urged the filmmakers to find inspiration from these films.

Other celebrities including Sir Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Wright and Bollywood star Abhay Deol joined the sit-down luncheon-turned-press conference.

“I am very excited to be in Doha and I think it is wonderful that it is hosting a film festival of such stature,” said Kingsley.

The press conference was followed by a red carpet ceremony. More than 33 cinematic gems will be screened in the next four days.